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Posted August 4, 2014 06:28 am

Veteran Arms To Assist Royals’ Playoff Push

The Kansas City Royals may have been silent on July 31, when 12 trades were made by major league clubs, but the organization has made two below-the-radar moves it hopes will help the team make a playoff push in August and September.

Scott Downs and Jason Frasor are two veteran relievers who have been brought in to provide stability and leadership to an already deep relief corps.

Frasor was acquired by the club July 16, from a fading Texas Rangers club stuck near the bottom of the American League West. Frasor owned a record of 1-1 and a 3.34 ERA before trading his Rangers uniform for some Royal blue.

“My original thought was why Kansas City, because I thought their bullpen was loaded – and they are loaded,” Frasor, speaking before the opening of a home series against Minnesota last week, said of his initial reaction to the trade. “But I guess, as you come down the stretch in a pennant race, you can never have too many arms down there. I also thought, you know I went from last place to second place and then my second thought was on the stadium, this is one of the top five places to pitch in the league – in my mind.”

Frasor also understands the chance he has been given by joining a contending team.

“First of all, I can’t stress enough how nice it was to play in Texas – especially last year, that’s the most fun I have ever had playing on a baseball team,” he said. “This year was a mess, but there is just no way they could have been prepared for or had backups for all of the injuries we had. Last year was really my first pennant race in 11 years in the game, and as of right now this is my second pennant race. I’ll take them when I can get them.”

Downs began his career clear back in the 2000 season as a member of the Chicago Cubs. The veteran with 564 total appearances heading into the season was signed as a free agent 10 days before the acquisition of Frasor. After starting the season with the Chicago White Sox, Downs also is excited about the chance to pitch in the pressure situations of a pennant race.

“That’s what you play this game for is to be in a pennant race,” Downs said. “I’ve always liked this team. I hated facing them when I was opposing them. We have a lot of young guys and I just like the makeup of the club. There is a lot of talent in this clubhouse and I think we have the right makeup to stay in this.”

Both Downs and Frasor understand they have the opportunity to assist some of the younger Royals relief pitchers in increasing their knowledge of baseball, but Downs also contends that he and Frasor can still learn every day in the bullpen.

“Whatever the young guys ask of us is what we’ll do,” Downs said. “We can help them learn and they can help us learn. We’ve both been around the game for a long time, but just when you think you have figured it out in this game, you get slapped in the face. Him and I are both veteran guys who are still learning and we’re having fun doing it – that’s what is nice about it.”

Frasor enjoys the business-like approach in the Kansas City bullpen and has yet to give up a run while pitching for the Kansas City nine.

“I don’t like silliness in a bullpen, and it’s not. It really is all business and I like that. I think I fit right in and it’s an easy bullpen to fit into,” Frasor said.

Both vets will be ready to pitch when called upon, but understand that the call for them will likely come in the seventh inning and before calls are made to set-up man Wade Davis and closer Greg Holland.

Kansas City is just 1.5 games behind Toronto for the final American League wild card spot. Sporting a low-scoring offense which is now missing first baseman Eric Hosmer (fractured hand), the Royals bullpen can’t afford to let late leads slip away.

“I’ve always said we just need to pass the baton. Our goal is to get the ball to Wade and Holly,” Downs said. “We’d like the starters to go six and hope we have the lead. Then our goal is for the two of us to get through the seventh and get the ball to those two in the eighth and ninth. They have a pretty good track record, so we’re confident in that. We just have to go out and pitch.”

Colabello Thankful and Proud of Indy Years

Having worked in and covered Independent Professional Baseball, I understand what it takes at that level to be successful – you have to love the game and work hard. If a player at that level does both, he just might find his way to the big leagues.

Minnesota Twin Chris Colabello logged 583 games at the Independent level before getting his shot at the big leagues in 2013. A .317 hitter with 86 home runs and 420 RBIs in seven seasons mostly played with the Canadian-American Association’s Worcester Tornadoes, Colabello knows he owes his pro career thanks to the opportunities he received in Independent ball.

“It was pretty important for me, obviously, and some other guys who have gotten similar opportunities,” Colabello said. “My dad was in kind of the similar situation coming out of college and back then they didn’t have Independent ball. He had to play in men’s leagues to stay around the game before he got a chance to play in Italy. It was a huge tool for me and my biggest piece of advice to guys who are coming out of school and don’t get drafted it is to believe in themselves, and if they want to continue to play they should pursue it.”

Colabello played for former major leaguer Rich Gedman. Gedman played 13 seasons in the majors, 10 with the Boston Red Sox.

“I was very fortunate that I had some really good people around me. Rich Gedman was my manager for six of the seven years that I was there,” Colabello said. “Then I played for Butch Hobson for half a season. Rich was really instrumental in reminding me that as long as you have a uniform on and people could see you play, you still had a chance. Maybe I was naive in believing that, but I have gotten my chance.”

In all of those seasons riding the bus on the Indy circuit, Colabello admits he never lost hope of chasing his major league dreams.

“I loved what I was doing and just playing the game,” he said. “I found was I was playing with a lot of guys that had played in Double A, Triple A and the big leagues and they kept reaffirming to me that I could play in the big leagues. That was always something that meant more to me then being drafted, signing, or getting the approval of a scout. I was getting approval from the guys I was around every day. That was really important for me. I didn’t know any better, so I just kept playing.”

The Worcester native got off to a scorching start in 2014, hitting three home runs and driving in 27 runs in the month of April. He cooled off in May, going 2 for 29 in one stretch, which earned him a demotion to Triple-A Rochester.

He was recalled on July 2, after Twins stalwart Joe Mauer was placed on the disabled list. Since his promotion Colabello has two home runs and eight RBIs playing in a platoon role, for the most part, with Chris Parmalee. He hopes to make the most of this his third chance with the big club.

“All I‘ve ever really wanted to do is contribute and help out,” he said. “I want to be an asset for a team – in the sense that they feel that by running me out there they are giving themselves a chance to win. That’s the biggest compliment a player can get. My goal every day is to get better and do what I can to help my team win.”

This week I will be taking in an American Association League game, where I plan to interview an Independent League player who seems to win wherever he goes.

Horsehides and Red-Hots to everyone, Deck

Jeremy "Deck" Deckard is a correspondent for the Topeka Capital-Journal sports department. His "View from the Upper Deck" baseball blog appears at CJOnline each Monday. Deckard is a member of the Society for American Baseball Researh. He can be reached at UpperDeckard89@yahoo.com. Please put “UpperDeck” in the subject line of any emails. You can also follow Deck on Twitter at @UpperDeck89.